Restoring hope the Megson way
17/03/05 | by Alex Campbell

I don’t often bother writing about Forest anymore – let’s face it, there hasn’t been a great deal to write about for quite some time. Despite attempting to defend the indefensible Joe Kinnear until his final days, like most other Reds I was only too aware of our helplessness and the misery associated with our inexorable plunge. Gary Megson has introduced a new concept to the NFFC mentality though; Gary Megson has delivered us hope.

Mick Harford’s brief flirtation with full management provided us with something to be vaguely positive about, yet the 3-0 drubbing by Cardiff provided a stark reminder of our plight. Gary Megson’s short reign has not been entirely without disappointments either – the goalless struggle at Rotherham cued great unrest amidst all support, though generally speaking the man cannot be faulted for his early efforts.

Looking back on my infallible support of ‘Big Fat Joe’, I feel rather ashamed. I credit myself with the attribute of loyalty having applied a positive spin to his every error, but looking back, it is so easy to see where he went wrong.

Kinnear’s early February start at the City Ground could scarcely have ran more smoothly, after 15 league games without a win and five without even scoring a goal the side claimed three encouraging draws before steamrollering their way to comfortable safety. Kinnear had done everything right, he made swift and effective signings in a way that Paul Hart had always failed to do and he instilled a work ethic into the side that ultimately saved us from disaster.

Optimism was rife amongst supporters. “We’re serious about promotion, are you?” seemed to be an unnecessary question with an obvious answer. It was this optimism and ambition that ruined Kinnear – for the first time in his managerial career he was in charge of a big club with big demands. Perpetual Premiership underdogs Wimbledon, the UAE national side and Luton Town can never really have provided Kinnear with the equivalent expectations of the Reds. Despite personally claiming to ‘thrive on pressure’, Kinnear buckled, an inexcusably unfit side launched into a Championship campaign with plenty of good ideas and yet no way of transferring them to the pitch.

After helplessly dragging Forest to their lowest ebb and a thumping at Pride Park to boot, Kinnear bestowed the mess he had created upon his long-time friend Mick Harford. Despite his devoted efforts, this job was always to be too big for a first-time manager, following his brief appearance at centre stage it was: exeunt Harford, enter Megson and friends. 

The differences between the side that Kinnear inherited and the side that Megson has taken under his wing are enormous. The basics had already been kindly provided for Kinnear by his predecessor Paul Hart – discipline, determination and fitness were not an issue. Megson took over the most unfit team in the division, with a track record for violent outbreaks and red cards – not to mention verbal unrest in the dressing room from Reid, Johnson et al. Just two months later and all of these drawbacks have been addressed: fines for red-carded players (of which there have been none), a new fitness coach, and a side that is not shy of hard work and passion for the football club. The mutual adulation of the players and their support following the Watford match says it all – these players genuinely do care for this football club, these players genuinely do feel that passion and pride are essential, both of which were absent entities for such a long time.

A run of numinous proportions is still essential if we are to beat relegation, but at least if we go down, we’ll go down fighting (not in the Alan Rogers sense of the word, either). Megson has brought the best out of newfound stars: Gareth Taylor is proving to be indispensable, Kris Commons is chipping in with Reid-esque brilliance, and even the likes of ‘The Tank’ have performed to an extent which could be described as acceptable (sadly even Gary Megson could not revive the neckless enigma that is Andy Impey).

It’s a mammoth task, but it really can be done. I still refuse to even think about life in League One unless it is thrust upon us. It’s important not to make the previous mistake and invest our unrestricted faith in a manager too soon – but the future seems much brighter under the stewardship of the ginger one. A season in the third tier would surely only be an anomaly now the footballing side of the club is in good hands. Shouldn’t matter anyway – we’re not going down…

…I hope.